catch-a-tory January 2, 2006

Thinking ahead into the new year, I had two wishes for my cooking adventures and this blog:

1) Working on my own photography so I can take action shots while I’m working/cooking and them not look like a 7 year old took them

and

2) Spending more money on cookbooks rather than magazines and actually using them.

As you read this post, you’ll see that it’s painfully obvious that I was successful at one resolution but not the other.

The week between Crimmus and New Year, I was seeking out comfort food. I turned to Fresh Every Day from Sara Foster. Its one of my "go-to" cookbooks, which means I go to it, flip through the pages, ooh and aaah, and set it back down. Truth be told, I get most of my recipes and ideas from cooking shows or browsing the Internet.

I followed through with using a recipe from this cookbook. When browsing through it, I had already begun to appreciate the simplicity and the emphasis on fresh produce and ingredients. Chicken Cacciatore seemed like easy comfort food. Plus, I rarely cook with chicken thighs – why I have no idea – so I just felt like I was being a trailblazer all the way around.

(above: the way their version looked)

This recipe really couldn’t be simpler. Bake the mushrooms – definitely add the sherry vinegar for some extra oomph on the mushrooms. While that’s going on, brown the chicken thighs. Set them aside and start working on the tomato sauce. I substituted fresh oregano for the marjoram and did not skimp on the fresh Italian parsley. Tons of garlic in there, too. Mix it all back together and heat through.

***Editors note: There was obviously no hair and makeup crew in kitchen stadium that night due to the holidays.

I had my serving over a bed of sauteed spinach. I’m sure the classic "serving it on pasta or noodles" version is quite yummy, too. I will say that using the chicken thighs *is* the way to go. They add richness that you would never get using plain chicken parts or boneless chicken breasts.

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place the mushrooms, caps down, in a single layer in a small baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO and the vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast the mushrooms for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring several times to evenly cook and coat.

2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season with S&P and 1 tablespoon of the marjoram.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet over medium high heat. Lay the chicken thighs in the skillet, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to a platter to keep warm.

4. Add the onion to the skillet you cooked the chicken in and cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and saute, stirring constantly, for another minute. Add the wine and deglaze the pan while bringing to a boil. Continue to boil for 2 to 3 minutes until the wine has reduced by half. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and the chicken broth, bring to a low boil, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens. Season to taste at this point.

5. Return the chicken to the pan with the sauce and simmer another 12 to 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the mushrooms, parsley, and remaining marjoram and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Plate while spooning extra sauce over the chicken and garnish with parsley and cheese.

Comments

I’m like you…most times I turn to foodtv or the internet for my recipes. But I LOVE cookbooks (have over 1200) and use them for inspiration when I am planning a company dinner. Every now and then I get on a roll…and spend a few weeks cooking from a particular cookbook. Much fun!
And I think your cacciatore photo looks better than their version! Kudos.
Donna

Donna-
Thanks for stopping by my little blog and for the kind words about the photos. The “action shots” arent quite there yet..but its a learning process, right?
I’d like to get in a groove and cook a lot from a particular cookbook..but I have the attention span of an artist, which = fleeting :)
Thanks again! I enjoyed your blog, as well :)

This looks delicious. I am also aspiring to take better “action shots” as well as plated shots whenever I try out a new recipe.
It’s funny I ran across your blog today (via Ali’s blog) because I was planning on making chicken cacciatore tonight! I just printed out the weight watchers version of this recipe, but I am going to steal your idea of using spinach instead of pasta. That sounds delicious. I also love the idea of roasting the mushrooms.
Thanks for sharing this!

hi amber :)
thank you for stopping in and reading my blog. i appreciate it!
other than maybe substituting chicken breasts and fat free chicken broth, i cant think of what WW would change in a recipe like this. do tell?
the roasted mushrooms were a great touch. i had a hard time not just eating those plain with a glass of wine instead of dinner :)

I posted my version of it here:http://www.myaimistrue.com/archives/2006/01/chicken_cacciatore_sort_of.html
The original WW recipe called for boneless, skinless breasts, less olive oil, and whole wheat pasta. I used your idea of serving it over spinach (YUM), but it was really late when I started and I didn’t have the vinegar on hand so I didn’t roast the mushrooms. But NEXT TIME, yes.

joe-
strangely enough..i get that all the time. it might be the eyes or the crooked smile…but lots of people tell me i look like her. i saw a billboard for her new show and I thought “uh oh..here it comes again”. many people dont really think of her until her name is mentioned and then they say “oh wow..you know you look like a not blonde version of roller girl!?”